Windows 8 Apps Skip the Modern Start Screen, Boot Directly to Desktop

People hate change as a whole, and one change that's earned a whole lot of hate from concerned PC lovers is the lack of a Start button in Windows 8's Modern UI. If you're one of the Modern UI malcontents, you'll be happy to hear that a couple of different programs abolish the Live Tiles and transform Windows 8 into an almost Windows 7-esque experience -- and one of the even brings back the Start menu.

Both RetroUI by Thinix and Start8 by Stardock can be configured to automatically dump you into desktop mode when you log in to Windows 8, bypassing the Modern UI and its Live Tiles completely. Start8 goes the extra mile by integrating the Start button and menu back into the mix, but gives it advanced functionality that allows you to launch Windows 8 apps from within desktop mode. Basically, there's no need to ever go to the Modern Start screen if you have Start8 installed.

RetroUI offers a one-week free trial, but you'll have to pony up $4.95 for a three PC license when the trial expires. Start8 is currently in beta and offered absolutely free, but Stardock hasn't said whether the final version will cost money. Either way, it's unknown whether the two apps will keep traditional Windows fans happy forever. Microsoft has already killed at least one workaround that let users automatically boot into desktop mode.